HYDERABAD: In a significant development ahead of local polls , the Centre has sought a clarification from the state govt regarding the Backward Classes (BC) reservation bills. The Congress-led govt has introduced two pivotal bills that aim to allocate 42% reservations for BCs in both education and political representation. In an effort to fortify these initiatives, the state govt has appealed to the Centre to incorporate these provisions into the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, which will allow for reservations quota that surpasses 50%. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, after getting the bills from the state govt, has forwarded them to the President three months ago.
According to highly-placed sources, the Centre is now probing deeper into the rationale behind the bills by requesting specific data regarding the BC population, as well as details from the recent caste survey and various parameters that led to the bills’ formulation. In response to this inquiry, the state govt is diligently preparing a comprehensive reply, collecting detailed information from various departments to substantiate its claims.‘Crucial changes’“If the Centre finds the state’s responses satisfactory, it may subsequently refer the bills to the Union law department for further consideration,” the sources said, suggesting a process that could bring about crucial changes to reservations in the state. Experts in constitutional law provide insight into the judicial landscape, noting that while the Supreme Court has not definitively ruled that overall reservations for any category must not exceed 50%, it has emphasized the necessity for scientific justification to support any reservations beyond this limit. “Given this context, we are cautiously optimistic that the Centre may grant approval for the BC reservations bills,” the sources saidAmid these developments, BJP has emerged as a vocal opponent of Muslim reservations included in one of the bills. Interestingly, reports suggest that the Centre has not sought any clarity regarding the inclusion of Muslims in the enhanced reservations for BCs.
